Uncovered Secrets
by kausingkayn
Summary: -Sequel to Forgotten Enemies- Some secrets should remain buried, while others never should have been secrets to begin with. The return of a psychotic enemy and Whumpage of every kind. Eliot X OC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Well, I lasted a week until I was unable to resist a huge plot bunny that was gnawing away at my brain. You lucky people with me and my inability to stop writing Eliot/Lindsey fics. This one is mostly angst, along with whumpage of every kind! I shall update whenever I finish a chapter. Sequel to ****Forgotten Enemies, but you don't have to read that. I would suggest skimming through ****Old Haunts though.**

**Rated T for violence and language.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage, only Lindsey Spencer. (Don't tell Eliot.)**

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Sophie was sitting in Nate's living room with the rest of the team when she got the phone call. The whole situation was strange to begin with, staring with the person whom had called her. Sure, she and Lindsey had become fast friends since the woman had moved to Portland in order to live with Eliot almost a year ago, and they called each other steadily throughout the week. No, it was more the timing of the call. It was around mid-morning and Nate had called the team in for a debriefing about their most recently acquired job. Lindsey knew about this, and was very good about not interrupting any process of their cons, including the debriefing. This brought up more than a few red flags in Sophie's mind. She wondered what was wrong, and, more importantly, why she hadn't called Eliot. The grifter shot a look over at the afore-mentioned man, wondering if he had just missed a call. But there was a phone-shaped bulge in his front pocket of his jeans, and Sophie was sure that the man would have felt his phone vibrating.

So Sophie excused herself, gaining several questioning looks from her friends before slipping into the kitchen. She flipped open her phone halfway through the middle of the last ring and answered it, trying to sound normal but unable to keep the worry out of her voice. "Lindsey, sweetie, how are you?"

"_Sophie…can you c-come over? It's i-important._" Her voice was soft and choked with tears, putting Sophie into panic mode as she remembered what happened last time one of them had received a phone call from Lindsey sounding like that. "What happened Lindsey? Are there strange men in the house? Are you ok? Oh my god, you didn't kill anyone, did you?"

Something that sounded like a small laugh came from the speakers. "_No…I-it's nothing like that. I just…need to talk to you right now. And please don't t-tell Eliot._"

Sophie peaked around the kitchen doorway and looked at the back of the hitter's head before pulling back into the kitchen. She wondered what could make Lindsey so upset that she couldn't tell her 'husband.' Technically, the duo never got married, but they might as well be. Lindsey had made her new alias have Eliot's last name, and the man had proposed to her.

"Um, ok. I'll be there in five minutes. Hold on." Sophie nodded to herself, quickly disconnecting the call. Every cell in her body wanted to tell Eliot about the call, but Lindsey told her not to tell, so she wouldn't. There had to be a good reason behind it all. Sophie took a few deep breaths before stepping back into the living room.

"I have to step out, some personal matter came up." Sophie said, giving a small smile, not missing a beat. She didn't stop walking, not acting like she was in a hurry, but giving the impression that she couldn't waste time to chat about what that personal matter was. She was out the door and gone before any of them were able to object. Nate just stared at the door as it closed behind her, shaking his head. "There's that voice."

Just as Sophie had promised, she made it to Eliot and Lindsey's apartment in five minutes. She made straight for the third floor apartment, her heart skipping a beat when she found the door unlocked. Sophie half expected to find Lindsey laying sprawled out on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood, and let out a sigh of relief when she realized that wasn't the case.

Lindsey looked up from where she was sitting as she heard the front door opening, giving a small but forced smile to her guest. The forger was sitting curled up on the three-person couch that sat directly opposite of the 40-inch television mounted on the wall. Her arms were hugging her legs, which were folded up in front of her. Lindsey was wearing one of Eliot's large t-shirts and pajama bottoms; her hair was a mess, and her eyes were red and puffy, tearstains running down her face. Sophie instantly ran over to the couch, sitting next to the younger girl and wrapping her arms around Lindsey. The girl leaned in to her touch and they sat there for several minutes in the silence until Sophie's curiosity got the better of her. The older woman withdrew her arms and scooted back a few inches in order to get a proper look at Lindsey. "What happened sweetie?"

Lindsey took a shaky breath, unable to look Sophie in the eyes. She hugged herself tighter, drawing her legs closer to her body before mumbling something incoherently. Sophie frowned, unable to understand what was said. "Sorry?"

"I-I'm pregnant."

The room was quiet for about four seconds. Then, a squeal of delight echoed through the room. Sophie had bounced off the sofa and started to jump up and down, clapping her hands. Then, she leaned down and hugged Lindsey, causing a small smile to crack on the girl's face. "Oh my god! That's wonderful! Congratulations! Oh, I can see it now! I _have_ to babysit!"

"Sophie…. Sophie!" Lindsey yelled, getting the woman to calm down. "It's not wonderful! It's not even ok!" Tears started to well in her already red eyes. "I-I can't do this…I can't be a parent."

Sophie came back to earth, sitting down on the couch once more, protectively wrapping an arm around the other woman. "Of course you will. You and Eliot both. Trust me."

The grifter gave a truthful smile, and Lindsey stopped crying, slowly unraveling herself. Her feet hit the floor will a dull thump, and she hugged herself, shaking her head. "I'm horrible with kids, Sophie. This world's dangerous enough! I can't…"

"Lindsey, you're sure, right?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm sure. I've been feeling really sick for a while, and started throwing up in the morning about a week ago. I had already missed my period, but I just thought it was really late…I was watching TV this morning and a commercial about pregnancy came on and…I thought I would check, just to rule it out, yah know…"

Sophie nodded and patted Lindsey back reassuringly. "You won't be alone. You have Eliot, who's _great_ with kids, and all of us."

Lindsey smiled at that, and wiped her eyes with her arm. "Thanks, but I'm not sure if I want to keep it…"

Sophie did a sharp intake of breath before biting her lip. "Sweetie, don't you want to talk to Eliot about this?"

Lindsey's eyes widened at Eliot's name before she shook her head violently. "No, don't tell Eliot! Not yet…I can't tell him."

"Lindsey, you have to! It's his child too!" Sophie said, shocked. "You can't exactly hide this from him."

Lindsey leaned back on the sofa, her eyes closed as she breathed slowly, trying to calm down. Her one hand covered her mouth, as her other went instinctively to her stomach. Sophie gently smiled at the sight and dug her cell phone out of her pocket. "Go take a shower, get dress, calm down. I'll call Eliot and tell him to come over."

The forger looked like she wanted to complain, but didn't saw anything. She knew that she would need to confront Eliot about this sooner rather than later, when he would find out for himself. She turned to look at Sophie one last time before leaving. "Thanks Sophie…"

The woman smiled. "That's what I'm here for. Now shoo, I'll be leaving."

"_I'm gonna teach yah how to fight."_

_Those words had seemed so simple the first time Eliot had spoken them. How hard could it be, really? Throw a few punches here, a few kicks there, and try not to get hit. In reality, it was so much harder than that. They had spent the first half hour stretching, and the next warming up by going through a series of weight lifting and running exercising, all to 'get the body warmed up.' Lindsey had asked what the point was, since in a real fight you don't have an hour to prepare, but Eliot had just given her a long hard stare before demonstrating the next exercise. _

_Finally, they were ready to begin the actual fighting. Lindsey was, by this time, pretty tired, and was already sweating. Her hair, which she had pulled back in a neat ponytail, was anything but that; hair sticking out at all angles. Her shirt was almost soaked with sweat and her arms felt like jello. Eliot, on the other hand, looked as if he had just come back from a cool morning walk, his breathing even, and his hair pulled back so it would stay out of his eyes._

_They were downstairs at the small gym located below Eliot's flat. It was early on a Saturday morning and the gym was still closed. However, the manager had given Eliot a key, which had gotten them inside. _

"_Eliot, I don't think I can do this." Lindsey said, wanting nothing more than to go upstairs and curl up in bed to sleep for a few hours. She didn't exactly pride herself in being such a weakling, but she wasn't so embarrassed to the point where she wanted to do something about it. _

_The man just chuckled. "Of course you can, darlin.' One day somethin's gonna happen and I wont be there."_

_Lindsey just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. What do I do?"_

_He smirked and got in a fighting stance. "The first thing you need to do is learn how to position your feet. You want to put your left foot forward and point it at your opponent while angling your right foot out."_

_Lindsey tried to copy Eliot, doing what he said. He nodded. "Bend your knees a bit, don't lock them."_

_She corrected herself and brought her hands up to her face. Eliot laughed at the sight. "Bring your left hand out in front of your face, your right needs to fall down, level at your chest."_

_It took several more minutes of Eliot's instructing and re-arranging of Lindsey's limbs, but he finally got her positioned in a correct fighting stance. He stood back to admire his work. "Hey, can we do something here? This is uncomfortable."_

_Eliot snorted and nodded, taking up his stance in front of Lindsey. "Alright, there are two basic moves you can do with your hands. A jab with your left hand is quick and precise." He demonstrated, his left hand snaking out and withdrawing back in all in one fluid stroke, causing Lindsey to take a step back. She was really glad that she was on his good side. "Then, you have your punch, which is your powerhouse move. You want to put your whole body into the strike, not just your arm."_

_He extended his right arm, and then tapped his right leg with his hand. "You turn your right foot, putting all your power into the punch."_

_Then he stood up and crossed his arms, gesturing to Lindsey with his head. "Your turn."_

_Lindsey shook her head, but did it all the same. Eliot tried not to laugh at the serious look on her face, but failed miserably. Lindsey gave up and stood up straight. "Face it, Eliot. I can't fight."_

"_Anyone can fight." He said, walking around so that he was behind her. Lindsey just snorted. "Ok. Lemme rephrase that. I can't fight _well_."_

_Eliot just rolled his eyes and stepped up behind her, his chest flush with her back. Lindsey opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but stopped when he grabbed her wrists with his hands, placing them in a protective stance. Still holding on to her wrists, he used his legs to push Lindsey's into place, smirking as she fumbled while trying to follow his lead. Once she was in the correct stance, Eliot let go of Lindsey and stepped back, walking around in front of her. He placed his hands up in place of punching bags and nodded at her. "Hit me."_

_Lindsey raised her eyebrow but nodded, biting her tongue in concentration. She lashed out with a jab, following it with a punch, turning her back leg like Eliot showed her to. Her fists hit his hands each time, and he rolled his eyes. "Come on, I know you can hit harder that that."_

_Lindsey smirked and punched as hard as she could. It was a slow punch, though, and Eliot caught her hand in his. Lindsey tried to pull her hand from his, but was unable to budge it. She jabbed with her left hand, but found herself stuck in the same situation, only this time both of her hands were caught in his. She blew out a large bought of air in frustration before relaxing her hands and stepping forward, connecting her lips with his. It took Eliot a moment to respond, but soon she felt his lips moving against hers. Getting greedy, Lindsey stepped forward, feeling Eliot's hands let go of hers and moving up her arms so he could wrap his arms around her waist. Feeling ornery, Lindsey sidestepped and kicked the back of Eliot's knee, causing his leg to give under him, pulling both of them to the ground. He hit the floor with a grunt, followed seconds later by Lindsey, who was on top of him. She propped herself up with her elbows and smiled into his lips. Eliot chuckled and started to kiss Lindsey's ear, whispering to her. "Grapplin's next week, sweetheart."_

Eliot grumbled to himself as he hoped in his truck. Sophie and her damn cryptic phone calls. First, she practically runs out of the debriefing without a reasonable explanation, then she texts him, saying that Lindsey needed to talk to him about something. When he texted her back (very slowly and painfully making many mistakes) asking her why, all he got was a strange little smiley face that he didn't realize _was_ a smiley face until he asked Hardison about it. Nate had been perturbed by the whole situation, but let Eliot go nonetheless.

He switched lanes as he came up to his turn, flicking his turn signal on as he rested his left arm out of his rolled down window. Eliot's eyes unconsciously started to scan the people on the streets as he came to a slow stop at a red light. There was a café on the corner, and a bunch of people was sitting outside eating. It was a beautiful day outside, perfect temperature with a small breeze. Eliot leaned forward to turn off his air conditioning when he saw her.

It was just a small glance as the woman was entering the café, but something about the way her long black hair fell on her shoulders before she disappeared into the store caused all kinds of bells to go off in Eliot's mind. The light turned green, but, instead of continuing home, Eliot turned and parked on the side of the street, getting out of the truck and entering the small café. The small bell dinged on the door as he pushed it open, alerting the staff of a new customer. Eliot's eyes squinted as they adjusted to the change in light. His eyes quickly drifted over each and every customer. There was a couple in the corner near the front of the place way too engaged in each other; then an old woman with a powder-white wig sitting alone at a table enjoying a cup of tea; the petite brunette behind the counter had looked up when he came in and gave him a smile, which he dutifully returned. Finally, his eyes came to stop on a woman sitting in the very back of the small place, her long black hair swept back behind her, her long fingernails grasping a cup of hot coffee. Eliot's eyes narrowed and he felt his fingers tightening into fists. He would have gone up to her and killed her right then and there on the spot if it wasn't for all the witnesses. Instead, he waited in the short line and ordered a slushy. Beverage in hand he walked almost mechanically over to her table, his mind going into overdrive. Why was she here? After the little game she played on him and Lindsey a year ago in Davenport, she should know that it would be beyond dangerous to show her face anywhere near Portland. Yet here she was, enjoying a cup of coffee and smirking at Eliot like she knew something he didn't, which was probably the case.

Eliot took a seat at the same table as she was sitting in and leaned forward so his words would not be overheard. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

She smirked and leaned back, crossing her arms in a confident and cocky manner. "Just stopping by. Can't a girl tell an old friend congratulations?"

Eliot frowned. "What are you talkin' 'bout? And I am not your damn friend."

She shook her head slightly and gave a few 'tsks.' "Touchy, are we?" She smirked. "You don't know? Well, that puts a small wrench in my plans."

Eliot gripped the edge of the table to stop himself from punching her. She noticed this and gave a small laugh. "You are so predictable, you know that Spencer? You've lost your touch. I mean, you weren't able to peg my men when you walked in…"

She clicked her fingers, and the room grew eerily silent. Gone was the constant chatter of too many people being in one place. The machines had even stopped their humming and random clicking. Eliot tensed; a little worried about what he would see when he turned around. Curiosity got the better of him, and he turned in his seat. The couple in the corner were now paying _way_ too much attention to him, both of them standing up and reaching behind them for something that was definitely not coffee. The sweet girl behind the counter was now holding two very large knives and a not-so-pretty smile on her face. The old woman looked less old now that she was holding a handgun. Eliot spun back to look at the black-haired woman, and found her relaxed in her chair, her fingers playing with a small silver pistol that now lay on the table. "Here's what's going to happen."

She stood up and grabbed the pistol, playing with it in her hands as she leaned against the wall. Even though she was pushing off waves of relaxation and calm, Eliot noticed how her finger never strayed far from the trigger, and how her eyes never left him. "You are going to come peacefully with me to an undisclosed location, where you will get to see Lindsey. Then, lots of fun things will happen…for me, at least."

Eliot stood up from his seat and turned his back so he was able to watch all the people in the café. He got into a fighting stance and shot her a smirk. "Don't think so, darlin.'"

She frowned and nodded to the girl behind the counter. "The hard way, then."

Eliot watched the woman with the knives come toward him and he looked around, his eyes darting from table to table. A few feet in front of his a plastic knife was sitting on the table on top of a neatly folded napkin. Eliot lunged forward and grabbed the knife before dropping to the ground in order to avoid the jab from the counter girl. He lashed out with the plastic knife, causing the girl to jump backwards, giving Eliot the time he needed to recover and stand back up. He was ready for her next lung, grabbing her wrist and snapping it. The metal knife clamored to the floor, and the woman grasped her wrist in pain. Eliot took advantage of the situation and punched her in the face, watching as her head snapped back, the woman unconscious before she hit the floor. Next up was the old woman in the corner, who was aiming her gun at Eliot's head and pulling the trigger. Thinking fast, Eliot dived onto the ground; rolling and grabbing the knife the counter girl had dropped, releasing it as he stood back up. The knife spun through the air and imbedded itself deep in the old woman's shoulder. She screamed and dropped the gun, out of commission. Eliot turned around just in time to see the couple that was in the corner approaching him, a little caution in their steps. Eliot smirked, laughing a bit as he spun the plastic knife around in his hand before gesturing to the two people. "Show me whatcha got."

This threw them off guard. Eliot saw this hesitation and jumped into action, faking a lunge with the knife then following up with an elbow, which connected nicely with the woman's nose. She dropped and Eliot faced the man. They traded a few blows until Eliot threw in a dirty kick low to the shin, hearing a satisfying yell as he grasped his leg in pain. Eliot went to knock him out when a jolt of pain shot through is leg. The woman whom he had elbowed had grabbed a chair and rammed it into his leg. Eliot fell to the ground, immediately getting attacked by the woman, who started to punch him face. The hitter grabbed his plastic knife tightly and plunged it deep into the woman's neck. She howled and backed off, grasping her neck as she slowly went limp. Eliot, now breathing hard, jumped up to his feet once more, surveying the damage. One of the men on the floor moved and Eliot brought his boot to the man's face, taking care of that problem.

Then, he did a quick injury check. His right leg was a little slow to respond to his commands and a sliver of pain shot up it when he stepped on it. There was a cut under his left eye that was bleeding and the eyelid was already swelling. Other than that he was good to go.

The sound of hollow clapping met Eliot's ears. The man spun around to face the black-haired woman, who was still leaning against the wall. She stopped clapping and aimed her gun at Eliot's chest. "Fun's over."

He smirked and took one step forward, then two. The woman cocked her gun, causing Eliot to stop in his tracks. "You won't kill me."

She shrugged. "I guess you're right." Then, she moved the gun lower so that it was aiming at his leg. "Nothing against maiming you."

Eliot growled and looked around, trying to figure out a way to get closer to the woman. There was a small bookshelf about an arms length away on his right, full to the brim with heavy, damaging-looking books. Eliot made a small sidestep right, grabbing a book and throwing it at the woman. She had to duck in order to avoid the book, letting Eliot close the gap. The man leaned down and grabbed her by the hair, yanking her upright and grabbing the gun out of her hand before unloading it with one hand and chucking it off to the side. Then, he slammed her against the wall, his hand around her neck. She started to choke and clawed at his hand, but he didn't let up. He leaned forward, whispering in her ear. "Good thing I don't care about killin' you."

She let out a choking laugh and stopped fighting against Eliot's grip. "You'll never find her."

Eliot growled. "I'm a damn retrieval specialist. Finding things is my _job_."

She smirked, the light in her eyes starting to fade away as she drifted in unconsciousness. "And hiding things is my job…"

Her body went limp and Eliot let go, letting her body hit the ground with a thud. He kicked the wall in anger before getting to work tying her up. He took out his cell-phone and dialed Lindsey's number, grunting in panic when she didn't answer. He went to throw his phone against the corner but decided against it, dialing Nate's number instead. The man picked up on the third ring.

"Nate, can I borrow one of you spare rooms?"

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**She's Back! -evil music- So, what do you think? Let me know and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, but I promise it's worth it. No fluff in this chapter, sorry. Just lots of angst and foreshadowing and Whumpage, though not to the character you think. Thanks to all my reviewers and silent stalkers, especially SiriusDoctorWhoHoney329, whom kept demanding me to write. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage, though I do own the episodes. Worth every cent.**

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Lindsey groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She started to breath in, but it got caught in her throat and she started to cough before proceeding to throw up all over the cement floor. Her throat felt like it was on fire and as she heaved it felt like her whole stomach was on fire. Her head hurt like hell and her memory was a little fuzzy. She lay there on her side, panting for a few seconds before realizing that she was lying in her own mess. She tried to stand up, but only ended up collapsing on herself. Instead, she rolled over onto her back, safely away from the stench on the floor. She coughed several more times, wincing in pain as the foreign sound made its way out of her throat. Finally they subsided and she was able to gather her thoughts. Her head still pounded, but she started to remember a little of what had happened to her.

She had gotten in the shower after saying goodbye to Sophie, who had already taken out her cell phone and was halfway through with dialing Eliot's number. After her quick shower Lindsey had blow-dried her air in an attempt to appear halfway decent and thrown on a pair of jeans and one of her own t-shirts. Preliminaries out of the way, Lindsey headed back to the spare room of the apartment, where her "hobby" was located. She didn't have any orders at the moment, but a 17th century painting had caught her eyes and she was almost finished duplicating it. The mindless strokes of the brush lulled her into a sense of security and allowed her to thoroughly think about what had happened to her in the past twelve hours. It was so strange, the other night it was just Eliot and her, the future open to thousands of possibilities. Now, all that was whisked away from her by a small little plus sign on a stick. Lindsey knew as soon as she had gotten the results that she wasn't ready to raise a child. Sure, she thought about it a few times, mostly when Eliot was around, but those thoughts were always far in the future, locked away in a place that deep down she knew would never be reached. She didn't even know how it happened. Most of the time they were careful. Every once in a while they would forget, but surprise pregnancies seemed to be a thing best left for the movies. Apparently, she was wrong.

Lindsey was rehearsing the best way to break the news to Eliot in her head when a knock came from the front door. That should have been her first sign that something was amiss; Eliot never knocked. However, her mind was lost in other topics and she got up from the stool and walked to the front door. Before she was able to look through the peephole to see who it was, the wooden door was kicked down and three very serious-looking men burst through the door. Two of them held guns while the third was empty handed. Lindsey stifled a scream, knowing that the only ones who would hear it were the ones she was screaming about. She scrambled backwards and ran to the bedroom, where she knew Eliot kept several weapons. She heard the men's boots loudly behind her and wondered why they weren't shooting at her. Lindsey reached the bedroom and dived on the floor, reaching under the bed for a handle of some sort. Her slender fingers curled around the butt of a gun and she let out a big breath in relief. Lindsey spun around and cocked the gun like Eliot taught her and squeezed the trigger as soon as a head popped through the doorway. The bullet missed by a mile, but the sound made the men stop and think before entering the room. Lindsey took this moment to look around the room, grabbing a desk-lamp in one hand, the other holding the gun that stayed trained on the doorway. The next thing to come through that way, however, was not a head but a gun. The black killing machine was aimed at the ceiling, the finger behind the trigger letting loose a round into the room. Lindsey ducked instinctively and fired the remaining of her shots into the space that led out to the next room. The intruders, figuring that the gun was out of ammo, entered the room. The first to approach was met with a face-full of lamp, but it only slowed him down. The man reached out to grab Lindsey, securing his hand around her small wrist. Lindsey shrieked and fought back, trying to recall any of the self-defense lessons Eliot had given her. She found herself respecting her fiancé a lot more for being able to keep a cool head under these kinds of situations.

Lindsey struck out, using her hands and feet, nails and teeth. She had to remind herself that she was no longer only fighting for herself, but the unknown child inside of her. That thought helped to fuel the fire, but the fight was soon over. There was no way she could protect herself from three large men who each equaled at least one and a half of Eliot. She continued to put up a shield of defiance, and then it all went black, the last thing she remembered was the black butt of a gun coming straight for her face.

Then, she woke up here. Where here was, though, Lindsey had no idea. She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, having to squint for a minute or two until her eyes got used to the drastic change in lighting. The room was a small one, with concrete floor and walls. It was the size of an old prison cell, but all the furniture had been taken away, and instead of a barred door, there was a large metal sheet hanging by several intense-looking dead bolts. Lindsey moved her wrists and legs experimentally and found that they were unchained. She sat like that for several moments, just staring at the ceiling, willing her body to calm down to the point where she could move. Soon enough it answered her call and Lindsey was able to sit up, grasping her head while doing so. She scooted over to the closest wall and leaned her back against it, one hand still over her forehead, the other curling tightly over her abdomen. Lindsey closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling. However, she was unable to stop them, and soon they made track marks running down her face. They were silent tears whose origins had many reasons. Lindsey was confused and upset, but mostly annoyed at herself. How did she allow herself to be captured like that? Eliot taught her better. He was right; he wouldn't always be there to save her when she needed it. Even though Lindsey hoped that this wasn't one of those times, she was determined not to wait long enough to find out.

_Lindsey closed her eyes and turned her head, making sure that her teeth were clenched so not to bite her tongue. She flinched when she felt warm fingers brush the skin above her elbow, screwing her eyes even more shut than they already were. Eliot laughed at Lindsey's antics and pulled his fingers away, waiting for her to calm down. Several seconds passes and Lindsey realized that nothing was happening. She opened a hesitant eye, the other quickly following. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and stuck her tongue out at Eliot, who couldn't withhold the amusement that shone in his eyes. The hitter crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Lin, I don't have all night, darlin'."_

"_Actually, you do." Lindsey pointed out, trying to get him to argue with him in order to further postpone the event. Eliot, however, saw right through her ruse and blew out a breath of hot air, running his fingers through his hair. "It ain't gonna hurt. I gave you the pain killers."_

_Lindsey just squirmed away, sitting further on the edge of her seat, if it was possible, moving her arms and legs in order to get as much distance between the hitter and her limbs as possible. _

"_Those bandages are gonna smell, I need ta change 'em."_

_Lindsey narrowed her eyes, shaking her head in solid resolve. "Wait 'till tomorrow."_

_Eliot blinked very slowly. "You said that yesterday."_

"_Your point?"_

_Eliot sighed and advanced on Lindsey, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her back to the center of the seat, where she squirmed half-heartedly, already knowing that she was fighting a loosing battle. "Lin, seriously, calm down!"_

_Lindsey frowned, but relaxed, twinging when Eliot's hand once again strayed to the edge of the bandaging that ran from her elbow all the way down to her wrist, hiding the scrapes and bloody patched of skin that she got while tied to a chair with the bomb strapped to her chest, along with the bruises and torn flesh she gained from the handcuffs. Truthfully, the woman was more scared of how her arms would look than how much it would hurt, though she was worried about the pain. It had been almost two days since Eliot had wrapped her arms and legs for her, and Lindsey admitted silently to herself that they were starting to carry around an odd odor. "Fine. Just…do it quick."_

_Eliot murmured a silent 'thank you' and gave Lindsey time to turn her head and shut her eyes before he gently started to unravel the bandages, very carefully manipulating her arm so that he would touch her raw skin minimum times while exposing it to the air. Lindsey flinched several times, and once he saw her bite her lip. He hated that he was putting her through this, but it needed to be done. Soon her arm was totally exposed. Eliot quickly disposed of the soiled bandage and picked up his chair, moving it to the other side of Lindsey in order to start working on the other arm. "Darlin, I gotta do the other arm."_

_She nodded and turned her head, gasping when her eyes opened to the sight of her raw arm. She would have brought her hand up to her mouth, but they were both previously occupied. She just stared at her arm, experimentally flexing her fingers and rolling her arm. Eliot unraveled her other arm, watching her face closely. She didn't saw anything when he finished her other arm, and didn't make a noise when he exposed both her legs. When he held out his hands to help her up, she silently took them with her own and allowed him to pull her out of the chair. Together they walked into the small bathroom where she sat down on the toilet seat lid. Her face with frozen in a look of deep thought, and Eliot was a bit scared to interrupt her. He grabbed one of those small washcloths that came with every hotel room and wet it down, rubbing it with soap before slowly running it over her arms. She winced more visibly at this, and a small hiss escaped her mouth. Eliot was surprised at how good she was taking it. He was about to strike up some conversation in order to make the time go faster when she spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper. Her words were more for herself than him, almost like a reassurance. _

"_I'm going to destroy her." She looked up. "I'm going to destroy her Eliot. I've never hated anyone before. Dislike? Hell yes. Hate? No. I want this woman to burn! Don't want her dead, 'cause that's too nice…that scares me..."_

_Eliot kept washing down her arms and legs, not hesitating in the slightest. He didn't look Lindsey in the eyes, because he knew exactly what he would see. That bright fire that burns black flames, the color of revenge. He was scared to say anything, because he knew if he did, it would be in favor of her thoughts, so he kept quiet._

"_I could do it too." She said, staring at her arms. "I could put her on the CIA's most wanted list, piss off every major hitman and mob boss in the damn world. I could…I could make her wish she was dead." She shifted her eyes, drilling a hole in Eliot's skull until he couldn't take it anymore and looked up at her. Their eyes locked. "All I need is a name."_

"_I dunno." Eliot shrugged, playing dumb._

"_Bullshit." She snapped, yanking her arms away from him, even though the rough jerk hurt. Eliot sighed and shook his head. "I promise you sweetheart, you don't wanna go down this road."_

_She shook her head right back at him, determination bright in her eyes. "I don't care right now. She hurt me, and hurt you. I guess you don't take being a victim of a murder attempt personally, but I as sure as hell do."_

_Eliot frowned, wishing that he wasn't agreeing with everything that Lindsey was saying. But he did, and he knew that she could do exactly what she said she could do. And he liked that. So he opened his mouth, and spoke two words loud and clear._

Hardison stared straight ahead, not allowing himself to look away from the large 6-panel screens, a pair of dark eyes staring back, their souls locked in an everlasting battle, both daring the other to look away first. Hardison watched as his opponent's mouth slowly twitched into a smile and he looked away, cursing under his breath. Even though she couldn't see him, she still un-nerved the hell out of him. The hacker had been assigned to the first watch, commanded to monitor the live feed coming out of the near empty room located right above their heads. It was one of the ones that Hardison had demanded be cleared when he bought the building. He never thought that it would be used as a containment area, but was glad he did it. The door was bolted several times, and Parker was standing guard out in front of the room in case the black haired woman made a rush for the exit. That was, if she could get anywhere close. Eliot was very careful to frisk her down to check for weapons and any various sharp and pointy objects located on the woman's body. After relieving her of those said objects, the hitter had, quite roughly, taken some of those small plastic ties and tightened them around her wrists and ankles, her being still unconscious. He didn't even bother giving her a chair or anything to lean on, Eliot just left her in the middle of the room. The lights were all turned out, the windows screwed shut; Hardison had to use one of his new shiny infrared cameras in order to get a picture.

Eliot had argued with Nate at first, saying that he could take care of everything himself. But all of them, even Parker, knew that he was just saying that for face value, his eyes expressing the real words. He wanted help –no– he _needed_ their help. He just couldn't bring himself to ask for it. They all had recognized this, and the unsaid words were exchanged. All of them were genuinely worried for Lindsey, but more worried for Eliot. What lengths would he go to, what methods would he use on this woman now that he had her in his grasp? They were scared to find out.

Eliot walked into the room and placed his hands on the back of the couch, staring intensely at the television screens. Hardison flinched, and he wasn't even the victim of the man's hatred. Anger rolled off the hitter in waves, his breathing was ragged and shallow, the hacker started to wonder if thoughts could kill.

Thankfully, Sophie took that time to enter the room, placing a gentle hand on Eliot's back, trying to tear the man's eyes away from the television. He didn't need to be staring at the woman; he needed to be calm and levelheaded so he could figure out a way to get Lindsey back. The man said nothing, but his posture relaxed somewhat. Nate then made his entrance, a cup of coffee in his hands. He walked to the couch and sat on the end seat, turning halfway to face the younger man, who was still standing. "We need to treat this like any other kidnapping case. We need her known associates, haunts, favorite spots, anything you can give us."

"Name would be awesome, man." Hardison said, his fingers poised over his keyboard, waiting to type in any words that came from Eliot's mouth. The man should have been more than ready to give up that information, he knew this. But he was worried about what Hardison would dig up if he did get the name. There was a period once upon a time where Eliot was just like her, ruthless and cold, all about the money. That was in the past, and he didn't want any of them to know that. But Lindsey's life was more important, and he found that cursed information flowing from his lips. "She's an 'Interrogator,' ta put it nicely. Breaks people for a livin,' and is the best."

He paused, shifting his weight to his other foot. "She has a thing for atmosphere. Use ta say the view was half the job."

Hardison frowned. "So we talkin places out of horror flicks?"

Eliot shrugged. "Anythin' that screams hopelessness an' death."

Hardison shook his head. "That ain't enough man. You know how many 'hopeless' buildings there are in Oregon? A lot."

"We need a name." Nate spoke up, looking at the hitter, who continued to stare straight ahead. He squinted his eyes as he mentally mulled something over in his brain, playing the scene from the café over and over again.

"Sophie." He spoke up. "What did Lindsey wanna tell me?"

"Um…sorry?" The grifter said, caught off guard.

Eliot continued with his ramblings, nodding toward the screen. "She told me 'congratulations' but I didn't know why." He turned around and faced Sophie directly. "What was it?"

She gave a short smile and tried desperately to some up with a lie, some con to pull over Eliot's eyes. But for the first time in a long time her talent failed. "I…I don't know Eliot."

The man growled. "Damn it Sophie! Just tell me, goddamn it! It could be important."

"It's important alright." Sophie mumbled incoherently. Eliot crossed his arms and stared at her impatiently. The actress took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Lindsey's pregnant."

Eliot's demeanor changed in the blink of an eye. His posture slumped, the anger falling out of his eyes, replaced with confusion, fear, and a little bit of pride. His hands fell dead to his sides, and his knees suddenly went weak. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He was finally able to get his motor functions, bringing his hand up to his head, grabbing a clump of his hair, trying to piece together those two words. "W-what?"

He stumbled backwards, leaning against the couch. He felt a wave of nausea roll through him and he bent over, resting his arms on his knees as he stared at the floor. He felt like he was choking, and thought he was going to be sick. The others in the room fell silent, Nate shooting Sophie a shocked look while Hardison was sitting there catching flies.

Eliot coughed a few times, closing his eyes. Lindsey was pregnant. _His_ Lindsey was pregnant with _his_ child. No, _their_ child. A baby, he was going to be a dad. Which meant that his fiancé was being held captive gods knows where and she was carrying. And then, all the puzzle pieces fell together, the truth hitting him like a ton of bricks. She knew. That black-haired bitch knew that Lindsey was pregnant. She _knew_ and yet she still kidnapped her, and planned to kill her. The anger returned just as quickly as it had gone. He stood up straight and headed toward the door. Nate recognized the look on Eliot's face and stood up, running to the front entrance, blocking the hitters way with his body. "You don't want to do this, Eliot."

"She knew, Nate." His voice was low and was almost unintelligible. "You bet your ass I do. _Move._"

Nate stood his ground, and Eliot sneered, grabbing Nate's shoulders and throwing his out of the way before storming down the hall and up the steps. Parker, who was standing guard, gave a small smile as Eliot approached, which quickly disappeared when she saw the look on the man's face. Scared out of her mind, the thief smartly jumped aside, watching as Eliot burst through the door. He turned on the lights, watching as the woman in front of his squinted from the sudden light. Eliot didn't let her recover, picking her up by her throat and slamming her onto the wall. He held on to her neck with his left hand, choking her, while he drew back his right and drove it into her stomach. He grinned in satisfaction as he felt her convulse under his grip, unable to get air to her lungs or gasp from the blow to the stomach.

Again, he hit her, and again she wheezed. Eliot tightened his grip on her, watching, as her fingers clawed at his hand, leaving long red scratches that were deep enough to bleed. He didn't care, in fact, he was past caring. Eliot was out of control. He hit her again, and again. He then placed both hand around her neck, picking her up from the ground, her toes unable to touch the floor. He smiled as he heard her gasping.

Then, laughing.

Choked laughing that was more like empty noise, but it was laughing all the same. He was about to kill her, and she was laughing. Eliot loosened his grip and threw her to the other side of the room, smirking when he heard a sickening thud as her body hit the ground. She lay there on the floor, not bothering to get up, that laugh still echoing through the room. "Pathetic."

Eliot froze.

More wheezing as she caught her breath. "You're so _weak! _I want to know what happened to the Spencer I knew. You're so damn pathetic!" She spat the last word, the saliva landing on Eliot's jeans. "You can't even kill me! After all I did, you still wont kill me! You're soft! Let that whore of yours invade your life."

Eliot growled. "Shut up!" He yelled, kicking her in the stomach. She coughed and threw up on the floor, still laughing. "Miserable excuse for a human being, that's what you are. Not even strong enough to finish what you started. Can't even kill me."

He picked her up once more, forcing her to stand as his hands once again curled around her throat. "Wanna bet?"

She smirked. "I'd bet my life on it."

Eliot growled, his voice coming out as a low grunt. "I'm givin' you one chance. Where. Is. Lindsey."

The woman smirked and beckoned with her head for Eliot to lean closer. He did so, and she pecked him quickly on the lips. "Go to hell."

He growled and delivered a striking blow to her face, breaking her nose and knocking her out cold, breaking the skin on his knuckles and bruising his hand in the process. She crumpled to the floor and Eliot stalked out, slamming the door behind him. He proceeded to stalk to the small elevator lobby, where he screamed in anger and kicked the wall, picking up a small vase with flowers in it off a little table and smashing it against the floor, overturning the table. He stared at the mirror on the wall for several seconds before ramming his hand into it, his left then his right, over and over again until they were both bleeding and had glass sticking out of them every which way. Then, he sunk to the floor, his hands shaking, his eyes burning with tears that would never fall.

Then, a silhouette appeared in front of him leaning down, wrapping their arms protectively around the hitter, and holding him like the son that he had lost. They stayed like that for only seconds, but it was enough. Eliot looked up at Nathan, the hitter's eyes sending shivers down the older man's spine.

"Her name's Viktoria Tepes."

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**Yay! You finally learn her name! Brownies to however can tell me why I chose that particular name. So, what did you think? Please let me know. I have so many story alerts in my inbox for this story, it only takes a few seconds to submit a review, it would help me so so much. Thanks to those of you who are reviewing, once again I say. **

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Here you guys go! There is going to be one more chapter after this one, followed by an epilogue. Thanks to all of my reviewers and silent stalkers, keep up the god work. :-)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Leverage, Eliot would wear leather...hehe**

* * *

Lindsey stayed where she was on the wall, waiting until her head stopped pounding and her stomach didn't feel like it was going to come out through her throat. When all that ceased, she slowly stood up and did a mental body check. She had a few bruises and her head started to pound really hard when she moved, but other than that she seemed stable. Then she made her way around the room, stopping at the door and leaning her ear against the cool metal, trying to see if she could hear anything. There were faint murmurs on the other side, and if she moved to the thin crack between the door and the wall, she could barely make out some words. The voices sounded large and rough, Lindsey could picture in her mind the two men that kidnapped her having those voices. She pressed close against the door, listening intently.

"…too long, should'a called by now."

"stop worrying so much…when she's ready."

"What do we do…..not suppose to hurt her."

The two men obviously wandered further away from the door, since Lindsey couldn't pick up any more talk. However, she smiled. Apparently, who ever it was that kidnapped her didn't want to hurt her. That she could work with. Lindsey thought fast, then coming up with a small plan, hit the large metal door several times in a row very hard, then took a small step back and let out a scream, falling to the floor. She could barely hide a smirk as the door swung open, one of the men carrying a large semi-automatic while the other looked around wildly. "What?!"

Lindsey sniffed and grasped her stomach. "P-pain just s-shot through my abdomen…it hurts…" She bit the inside of her mouth really hard, causing tears to come to her eyes. The two men exchanged worried glances, neither of them sure what they were suppose to do. Their boss had told them that under no circumstance was the hostage to be harmed before she got there, and that she was carrying a child.

As they stood there, unsure of what to do, Lindsey bent over so that her hair hide her face from view and started to cough, jamming her fingers down her throat before she promptly threw up all over one of the men's shoes. The man's eyes widened as he took a few steps backward, shaking his feet to get rid of the mess. "Take care of this" he hissed as he exited the room.

The other man stayed where he was, then, due to another moan from Lindsey, leaned down and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her up onto her feet. Without saying a word he dragged her out of the prison room and into the room adjoining it before thrusting her into a metal chair behind a table. "Don't move."

Lindsey nodded and hugged herself, eyes scanning the room quickly and fearfully. There was another door on the far side, but she had no idea if it led to the outside or a hallway or even another room. There were two tables, the one she was sitting at and another on the other side of the room. The one in front of her was empty save for a few bags of eaten chips. The other table, however, was more appealing. There were two 9-millimeter guns sitting next to each other, along with a small silver pistol, like the kind that Viktoria liked to carry around. Coming to this statement, a shiver ran down Lindsey's spine. Was the woman the one doing this to her? The forger's resolve suddenly became much more determined. She would get out of this situation with or without Eliot, but she would wait until whoever the boss was, and if it did happen to be that bitch…well.

Lindsey slowly stood up and made another groan, one hand on her stomach the other on her forehead. The man, who had been rifling around in a small black sack, turned around, a container full with pills in one hand. Lindsey stumbled to the other side of the room, where she bumped into the other table. The small pistol, which had been sitting on the edge, fell to the floor. Lindsey quickly fell on top of it and stuffed it down the front of her jeans before faking unconscious. Her kidnapper, starting to panic, picked her up bridal style and carried her back into her cell, where he left her a candy bar already unwrapped and two painkillers. Lindsey waited until she heard the door shut and lock before sitting up and inspecting her newfound weapon, munching on the candy bar all the while. A smile grew onto her face as she noticed the gun had three bullets in it. She had a weapon and she had an idea about the way out. All she would have to do was wait until there was only one guard in the other room, fake feeling sick again, then run for it. And if she happened to run into Viktoria while she was running, Lindsey was sure that she could spare a bullet for the woman's head.

_Lindsey sat in the passenger seat of the car that Eliot rented for their trip to Kentucky. He had brought her to see the horse races. They were heading back to the hotel after spending hours at the track when Eliot told her that he needed to take a quick side-trip, he had something he needed to take care of. In Lindsey's world, she knew that meant Eliot had someone he needed to take care of. She had nodded silently, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it, and settled into her seat. _

_That had been almost half an hour ago. Lindsey was getting anxious and wanted to get back to the hotel. They had rented a large penthouse suite, more for Lindsey than Eliot, and they had yet to test the bed. She squirmed around in her seat, frowning as once again the radio shut off because the car hadn't been turned on for too long. Finally unable to wait any longer Lindsey grabbed the keys and jumped out of the car, making sure to lock it behind her. They weren't in the nicest of neighborhoods. She walked up to the small building she had watched Eliot disappear into and pushed on the door, finding it unlocked. She snuck inside, worried when she didn't hear anything. Then, a large crash coming from one of the back rooms. Lindsey broke out into a run, stopping just before the room that she heard the crash come from. She gently pushed the door open and watched with wide eyes what unfurled in front of her._

_Eliot was standing with is back to the door, a small beefy looking man in one of the hitters chokeholds. The unknown man was choking and flailing around. Finally, one of his desperate kicks came in contact with Eliot's shin, and the man dropped to the ground. The opponent turned and went to kick the fallen man, but his boot was stopped halfway through the motion by Eliot's hands, which twisted the man's foot so hard that Lindsey heard a sickening crack which meant that the bone was either broken or fractured. The other man howled in pain, giving Eliot the time he needed to stand up, pulling his opponent up with him by the neck. Eliot connected his elbow with the man's face, causing his head to snap back. Again he hit him, followed by a blow to the stomach. The man was almost unconscious when Eliot let go of him, pushing him back roughly so that he stumbled and collided with the wall. The other man was unable to hold himself upright, so he sank to the floor, his legs buckling underneath of him. _

_Lindsey thought the fight was over, and was waiting for Eliot to turn around and see her in the doorway. But the hitter didn't stop. No, he picked up his foot and jammed his boot into the man's head. A sickening crack filled the room and blood started to drip down the back of the wall. Lindsey's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth as she started to feel sick. _

_It was then that Eliot turned around and saw Lindsey at the door. The man 'humphed' and bent over, intent on cleaning up the mess he made. "Told ya ta stay in the car."_

_Lindsey stuttered, trying to find her voice as she leaned on the doorway for support. "I-you were taking so long I-I thought something might h-have happened….Is he dead?"_

_Eliot looked at the man whom he had just defeated and growled. "Damn well better be."_

_It was then that he noticed how pale looking Lindsey was, and the fear that was coursing through her eyes. Eliot paused, then took a step toward the door. "Sweetheart, you ok?"_

_Lindsey shook her head mutely as she started to back away from Eliot, taking one step back every time he took a step forward. She gasped when she hit the wall and she stood there, unable to make her legs move. Eliot stopped when he got right outside of the door, pain and confusion written all over his face. _

"_Y-you K-killed him." Lindsey whispered, falling to the floor as she curled up in a fetal ball. "H-he's dead."_

_Eliot closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, now understanding Lindsey's reaction. He tried to shield her from his work, which was pretty easy since they barely saw each other. But every once in a while she would watch him fight another poor soul who lost the fight before it even began. She'd seen him kick and punch and break bones, knock people unconscious, but never before had she seen him take a life, and he had hoped for it to stay that way. "It's alright, darlin. I wont hurt you, you know that."_

_Lindsey shook her head, trying to push up closer to the wall. "Y-you can't promise me t-that…"_

_Eliot frowned and slowly walked up to Lindsey, squatting down so that he was at her level and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. The same hand that moment before was dealing death to a man. Lindsey flinched, but didn't move away. _

"_Don't ever say that." Eliot mumbled, pulling Lindsey on to his lap and wrapping his arms around her small body, burying his face in her hair. She relaxed slightly, but not all the way, her body still tense in his arms. "I wouldn't hurt you, ever."_

_Lindsey sniffed and turned around, pressing her body into his chest. "J-just promise me he deserved it…that he deserved to die."_

_Eliot breathed in the scent of Lindsey's hair before replying. "He deserved it."_

"Viktoria Tepes, age 32 and according to her papers, a legal American citizen." Hardison paused long enough to press a small button on his clicker, causing the pictures on the screen to switch. Not that there were many pictures to switch around. After receiving the name, the hacker was only able to find her passport and DMV photo. Running her face through the system, though, turned up several extra pictures, including some very grainy one of Viktoria on the streets all around the world. Each of those photos was years and miles apart, all of them with the woman alone. That is, except for one.

There was one blurry photo where she was meeting a man outside of a small bookstore. The man in question had medium-length hair, as if he was trying to grow it out. He was short and built and from his stance, very aggravated. Hardison was currently running several programs to enhance that particular picture, but it was running slowly. "She moved from Romania a few years ago, works a desk job, just broke up with her long-term boyfriend, has a sister back home. She's spotless."

"'Cept for the fact that it's all a lie." Eliot growled from his position on the couch. He was sitting the farthest away from everyone, which he did on purpose. His hands were wrapped in gauze and sat idly by his side. He did notice when Hardison flinched a bit when he had spoken, but pretended to not notice it since Sophie had already shot the hacker an evil look. Turns out that when Eliot went upstairs to 'talk' to Viktoria, Hardison still had the live feed on the television screens. Which meant that everyone had seen everything that he had done to the woman. Every blow, every kick, the hatred rolling off of him. His team, his family had almost seen him kill a woman who had no ability to defend herself. He didn't blame them for acting weird. In fact, he was a little confused when Nate's arms had encircled him outside of the elevators.

Nate had brought Eliot back into the apartment, where he cleaned and bandaged his wounds while Hardison researched about this Viktoria Tepes. The hacker acted all jumpy around him, avoiding looking at him in the eye and flinched whenever he came close. Sophie just remained silent, a look of pity in her eyes as she looked at the hitter like a lost puppy. Eliot hated that more than the fear coming from Hardison. Parker caught the worst of it, actually being there right outside the door, listening to the sounds of the brutal blows Eliot had given. She wasn't acting any different other than not coming within striking distance of the man. Eliot wasn't surprised about his team's reactions, he didn't blame them at all. Nathan was the only one still acting normal, but that was more than likely because he had seen Eliot in action before. Not the kind of action the hitter had been seeing since going the group, no, real action where people died hideous deaths and the only way to make it out alive was with blood on your hands.

"Don't need to know what she did to know she's evil." Parker piped up, causing heads to turn.

"Why's that? Cause she lives in freaking _Romania?!_ Woulda been nice to know we were dealin with a _vampire!_" Hardison threw his two cents in.

Parker snorted. "No! Her name's spelled with a K. K's are evil. Everyone knows that."

Everyone just stared at the thief. Then, Sophie came to a conclusion. "Parker, your name has a K in it."

The thief just smiled. Nate frowned and made a 'eh-em' sound to get the three to turn and look at him. "Can we get focused here?"

Hardison threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine! But I'm tellin' you, don't go back into that room without garlic or a cross or somethin.'"

Eliot growled. "Damn it Hardison, she ain't a vampire!"

The hacker shrunk back like he had gotten bit. "Tell that to Buffy."

Eliot stood up from his chair and would have done something violent, but was stopped by the television beeping. Five pairs of eyes turned to the screen and found themselves looking at a very clear picture of Viktoria with her mysterious guest, whom was now very discernable. Eliot was standing there, an angry look plastered on his face. His head was turned sideways almost in a profile stance, eyes shifty as if he knew someone was watching. His hair was nowhere near the length it was present day, but it looked like he was working on growing it out. It fell right above the top of his ears, allowing all four of his piercings to shine. Viktoria looked younger and more beautiful and slightly less insane, even a little happy. Eliot sighed, the painful memories coming back to him as he remembered that picture, remembered the times the two of them had spent together, reeking havoc and spreading chaos. It was one of the low points in his career, where he was literally work for hire. Embarrassing, but fun as hell at the time. Sophie looked to the man for an explanation, but he gave no sign of giving one. Hardison clicked the remote in his hand to change the picture, her legal documents once again showing up. "Nothin' we can threaten her with here. Hate to say it, but she's got all the leverage right now."

"Why don't we just grill her?" Parker asked. "Like they do on TV?"

Eliot snorted. "She's a damn interrogator. Anything we do she'll throw right back in our face. In fact, I'm pretty sure she'll reverse interrogate us while we're interrogating her."

"So interrogation is obviously off the table." Nate spoke up, staring Eliot straight in the eyes when he said it. The younger man stared right back, not backing down. He knew what Nate was trying to say, and understood why he was saying it. But that didn't mean that Eliot had to agree.

"We can't just sit here coming up with empty ideas! Lindsey's out there somewhere with our…" He teetered out, unable to say that last word. He ground his teeth in frustration and thought. Then, he remembered that conversation that he and Lindsey had almost a year ago in a hotel in Davenport. "I got it. I know how we'll get 'er."

**--Leverage--**

Nathan Ford walked into the makeshift interrogation room, a small slender file under his left arm. The file contained a whole conspiracy package that Eliot had told the team Lindsey had been working on in order to bring down Viktoria. The woman had been working on those documents for the better half of the last year, covering everything from a mass amount of unpaid parking tickets to being involved in ripping off several mob bosses. He carried a chair with him, which he sat in the middle of the room. Eliot and Parker walked in several moments later carrying a large table, which they placed in front of Nate, allowing him to lay the folder on the table. The two walked out of the room, only to have Eliot re-enter with another chair and a small knife. He grabbed Viktoria by the arm and thrust her into the chair. The woman tried to strike up a conversation with the hitter, but he remained silent, cutting her bonds before re-tying her to the chair as uncomfortable as possible. She took it in stride, and gave an eerie smile at the bandages on his hand. "Anger issues?"

He growled, but didn't respond, leaving the room quickly as his hands balled into fists. Viktoria smirked then turned to face Nate, who was sitting in a relaxed posture in his chair. "You train them well."

Nate frowned and gave a quick glance to the camera located in the far corner wall, dragging Viktoria's attention there as well. She smiled. "Alec Hardison behind the wheels of this car, is he? The computer geek? Wonder if he would have turned out differently if his father wasn't disgusted at him…but, I guess that's what foster care if for, am I right? How is the old man doing?"

She looked past Nate and stared at the door, almost as if she could see through the solid wood and into the eyes of the thief whom was standing on the other side. "And our resident thief. Don't worry honey, there has to be someone out there who doesn't hate you and think you're a monster. There are millions of people who haven't even met you! So adorable."

She shifted her gaze back to the camera lens. "Sophie Devereaux. The girl who hated herself so much that she had to hide behind another person, a whole set of lies. Does it make you feel any better that you fail under a fake name?"

Then her eyes fixed on Nathan. Those dark eyes that laughed in excitement of the fun that she was having. Those dark eyes that spoke of danger and craziness, a line that had been crossed. "Nathan Ford. How's your son doing?"

Nate gave a quick intake of breath and curled his hands around the armrests of the chair before slamming the table. "Enough."

Viktoria laughed. "I'm not done yet! I haven't gotten to my favorite! Eliot Spencer. The man who, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't protect the _one thing_ that mattered to him! I'm sure your girlfriend's last thoughts will be 'why did my love fail me?' Too bad she didn't learn that the one thing you do better than delivering pain is leaving."

There was a large sound outside of the door, and Nate flinched, imagining the hitter punching through the thin wallpaper and wall behind it, reopening the wounds that he inflicted on himself only hours before. The man slid the file to Viktoria's side of the table and opened it, letting her read the contents. The smile slid off of her face as she read the information, and for a few seconds Nate had hope. Then that crazed look re-entered her eyes and she laughed. "Cute."

The mastermind frowned. What did the woman want? She already got her revenge on Eliot, she barely flinched when shown forged documents that could ruin her life even more, and she enjoyed pissing off the top four criminals in the world. "Where is Lindsey? What do you want?"

Viktoria smirked. "So you're going to give me something in return! Finally!" She leaned forward and whispered, "You know what I want?" Then she raised her voice. "You know what _I_ want! I want Eliot Spencer back! _My_ Eliot Spencer! Not this shell of a human that you people have corrupted! I want the man who stood by and grinned as I drove a knife into a man's knee! I want the man who was the most dangerous person in the world!

"You want to know something? He's a _joke_ now! A damn joke! I want him back, the man who worked with me all those years ago! Who loved _me_, not that damn bitch carrying his child!" Tears started to stream down her face as she screamed the words, tugging at her restraints as she lost herself. She lost all the walls she had so carefully built all those years. She lost the calm she had found, the prison she had placed herself in. "I want him to _feel_ like I felt after he betrayed me, leaving me in that god-forsaken hell-hole to rot for years. I died down there…"

The door opened behind Nathan and Eliot leaned in the doorway, staring at the woman in the chair, the _thing_ that he had created. "I never loved you. Not like I love Lindsey."

He advanced a few steps and sat on the table, facing Viktoria. The woman looked up at him, her face red and puffy from the tears. She looked completely venerable, innocent, almost. Eliot had to blink to get rid of the illusion. "Tell me where Lindsey is."

She shook her head, snorting. "That woman is the thing stopping you from reverting back to who you were, what you are, she's holding you back Eliot, don't you see that! You were free with me!"

All the pain she had caused him, all the suffering, and all the hate. It didn't matter anymore. Eliot leaned down and reached out, stroking the side of her face with his knuckles. "Where is she, darlin?"

Viktoria closed her eyes as she leaned in to Eliot's touch. "I-I'll show you."

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**Ooh, plans are starting to form and our favorite insane friend had a breakdown...or did she? -mysterious music- Reviews would be awesome!**

**By the way, if you haven't already figured it out, I used Viktoria with a K because of the Top Hat Job, and Tepes as her last name because that was Count Dracula's actual last name. Of course, this isn't her birth name, but that's all you'll get. Mwahahaha -cough cough- haha**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Ok, the second to last chapter, here it is! I hope that you guys like this. Just a warning in advance, there is no flashback in this chapter. Couldn't find the perfect one, and I think that this chapter didn't need a flashback anyway. Thanks to all of my reviewers and silent stalkers for all of your support, keep it up!**

**Slight warning, this chapter is all angst and dark, no fluff of any sort, so prepare yourself. Was going to post this last night, but my internet decided to hate me.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Leverage, I would be watching new episodes instead of re-runs.**

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The seat belt felt like a portable prison, digging into his chest with every movement of the car. Every movement, every thought, and the belt dug deeper and deeper, rubbing against his chest as his mind closed in onto itself. None of this should be happening. He shouldn't be sitting in the passenger side of a car while a crazed psycho ex girlfriend was driving to the place where she was keeping his fiancé. He shouldn't have gotten his team mixed up in the mess. He shouldn't have let Viktoria get so out of hand. Yet all of those things were happening and had happened.

"Slow down." Eliot growled at the driver. She just smirked and pressed down on the gas ever so slightly, causing the hitter to narrow his eyes as he felt the car speed up. It wasn't the best of ideas, having Viktoria drive to where she was holding Lindsey. But it was better than having him drive with her in the passenger seat, hands and mind free while he had to concentrate on the road. There was another option, but Eliot wouldn't let any of the others in the car with her, so that was automatically counted out.

The car expertly weaved between the downtown traffic, each second granting them closer and closer to their destination. Eliot glanced out of his side-view mirror only to see a large black van directly behind him. The hyper-looking blonde in the passengers seat saw him looking at the van and waved, but Eliot didn't wave back, or even smile. They had no idea what kind of potential danger any of them were in.

They came to stop at a red light and Viktoria tapped her fingernails on the wheel impatiently. She hummed a few bars of an unnamed song before shifting in her seat in order to better face her passenger. "How much do you care for your pretty little fiancé, Spencer?"

Eliot frowned and stared Viktoria down. "None of yer damn mind games."

She smiled. "What makes you think this is a mind game?" She reached over, using one fingernail to softly trace an imaginary line down his bare arm. "How does she make your feel?"

She saw Eliot get distracted for a moment, but a moment was all it would take. She gave an insane smirk, one of those that the victims of serial killers normally see before they are killed. Then, she slammed her foot down on the accelerator.

Eliot moved faster than he had ever moved before. He unbuckled himself and dived to the other aide of the car, jerking the steering wheel from Viktoria's grasp and desperately trying to drive the car off the side of the road. The damage was already done. A large truck hauling a horse trailer was coming from the road to the right and was unable to stop in time. It hit the car that Eliot was in square on the passenger's side with enough force to flip the car. The hitter felt himself get thrown around in the car as it turned over on itself, stopping with its wheels up in the air like a dead roach. The truck that had rammed into them had screeched sideways and the trailer had broken off and was lying in the middle of the road. Several other cars has swerved in order to miss becoming part of the damage, resulting in a full fledge traffic jam. People were yelling in confusion and several tried to approach the car that had initially started everything. The first to the crash were the ones from the large black van.

Nate was the first to get to the car and got there just in time to watch as Viktoria disappeared into the crowd that was steadily growing around the site. He leaned down and looked into the window of the car. What he saw wasn't good.

The man was somehow contorted on the front two seats, his feet facing Nate, who was standing on the passenger side. He was lying belly-down and Nate saw hints of blood. Worried, he ran around to the other side of the car and knelt down, looking Eliot in the face. The man groaned and shifted a little, his eyes fluttering open. There was a large gash running down the side of his neck, and several glass cuts on his neck and arms where Nate could see, but other than that he seemed ok when it came to blood wounds. "Wher'ishe?"

The mastermind rolled his eyes, but the worry never left his face. "Parker, help me get him out. Hardison, back to the van, track down Viktoria."

The hacker nodded and ran off to the van, Sophie following. Parker walked around to the other side of the car and crawled into the small space, and, with Nate and Eliot's help, slowly managed to pull the man out of the car. Once out of the metal contraption Eliot did a self-evaluation of himself. He felt bruised and battered all over, but he was lucky that he didn't sustain any more damage. He stood up, only to fall back down again. "Shit."

Nate and Parker helped the man up, allowing Eliot to lean on either one of them. He did just that, testing out his feet. His left foot couldn't hold his weight, and from the way it felt Eliot would guess it was broken.

"You can't walk." Parker pointed out, earning a glare from Eliot. "Thanks fer pointin' that out."

She stuck her tongue out at him and let go, causing him to fall to the ground, this time dragging Nate with him.

"Parker!" They both cried at the same time, causing the blonde thief to smile. She helped Nate up first, and together they brought Eliot over to the van. Several people watched them with curious expressions, but no one dared approach them. The look the tough one in the middle was wearing was enough to know that even with a lame foot, the man was not one to mess with. The odd threesome was in the van and driving off as the cops arrived on scene.

Eliot sat himself in the very back of the van as it drove away. Parker was back in her passenger position and Nate was driving, leaving Sophie to help him since Hardison was typing away on his computers. The grifter grabbed the emergency first aid kit that Eliot had demanded be put in the van. She opened it and raised her eyebrow at its contents. "Not exactly standard medical equipment."

Eliot just rolled his eyes, focusing on his foot. He gently removed his boot, then his sock. Sophie brought her hand up to her face when she saw the discolored and swollen skin that used to be Eliot's foot. The man gestured toward the first aid kit. "Splint, ace wrap, Jack Daniels."

Sophie nodded, handing the man what he needed in the order he asked for it. The hitter set aside the actual medical equipment and took a swig of the whiskey before handing it back to the grifter and getting to work. Every once in a while he would let out a short grunt as the van swerved or hit a bump. Small beads of sweat starting to roll down his face, and the crew knew that the man's foot was hurting. However, they didn't have enough time to get to a real doctor, so none of them offered.

"Got her!" Hardison's voice cut through the silence.

"Address." Nate said. Hardison relayed the information and the van took a sudden right, speeding up now that they had a destination. Eliot glared at the hacker. "What the hell took ya so long?"

Hardison narrowed his eyes. "Come on man, I had to re-task two –count em– _two _satellites just to find her!"

Eliot just rolled his eyes and murmured some choice words under his breath as he finished securing his foot. He grabbed his sock and slowly pulled it over his swollen foot and took his boot, trying to fit it back on. Sophie frowned and tried to stop him, his hands grabbing the heel of his boot. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Puttin' my boot on." Eliot retorted, yanking his shoe from Sophie's grip. Nate didn't turn around since he was focusing on the road, but his voice was loud enough to carry into the back of the van.

"You aren't going in there. You're hurt and too attached to the situation."

Eliot growled and slammed his hand into the side of the van, causing everyone to jump. "Damn right I'm attached!" He jammed his finger into his chest at each mention of a person. "_My_ ex is holding _my_ fiancé hostage, who, by the way, is pregnant!" He choked over the last word, his voice almost giving out. Adding to the exclamation, he yanked his boot over his foot despite the pained look that crossed his face. He reached over and forcefully took the first aid kit from Sophie's loose hands, tearing out the false bottom and exposing a dangerous selection of knives, which he removed and placed on various locations in his clothes. He had removed all his weapons before getting in the car with Viktoria, knowing that she would more than likely plan some kind of escape.

The van came to a slow stop, Nate pulling over in front of a quaint antique store. Across the street was an old rotten apartment complex, the perfect place for a hostage to be held. It was surrounded by several other apartment buildings that looked just as damp and desolate as the other. Before anyone could protest, Eliot opened the two back doors and slid out, half-falling before catching himself with the back bumper. The retrieval specialist slowly let go of the van until he was positive that he could support himself with only his two feet. It was obvious that he was shifting his weight to his good foot, but he was stable. Eliot took a few steps toward the building until he felt a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't a firm hand holding him back; more of a reassuring hand. He turned his head to look over his shoulder and saw Nate standing there, an obvious battle waging inside of his. The man wordlessly handed Eliot a comm, and the silent meaning was transferred.

Eliot took the comm before sticking it into his ear, nodding. "Gimme ten minutes. If Lindsey ain't out, you storm the gate with everythin' you got."

The corners of Nate's mouth turned upward ever so slowly. "We got more than a prop truck this time."

Eliot limped away, heading toward the ominous building. A car door slammed and Parker ran out toward the street, only to be held back by Nate.

"We can't let him go in there alone!" the thief exclaimed.

"Ten minutes." Nate whispered, watching as he let yet another son slip through his too-loose grasp.

**--Leverage--**

Eliot flattened himself up against the outside of the building, using his hand to softly push the front door, removing himself from any possible line of fire. The door opened without a sound and the hitter hesitated, listening for signs of life. Hearing none he slunk into the building, closing the door behind him. It was dark, yet cracks in the windows and walls allowed small streams of light passage into the otherwise isolated room, giving Eliot slight visibility. He paused only long enough for his eyes to adjust to the change in lighting before continuing, tip toeing as silently as he could in his position, staying glued to the walls. As he reached the next door he pressed up against it, willing his breathing to become shallower as he listened for the tell-tale signs that someone was in the other room. He almost entered when he heard it, the soft scrape of a chair from being pushed a quarter inch back, then uneven footsteps of someone who had been sitting down long enough for their foot to go asleep.

Eliot took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then stood up straight and walked through the door as if he owned the place. Two surprised faces met him, one belonging to the monster of a person standing near the middle of the room, the other to the slightly smaller partner, whom was sitting against the far wall. Both reached for their guns at the same time.

Eliot gave one of his genuine cowboy smiles. "How ya'll been?"

This threw the men off for half a second, causing them to hesitate before drawing their guns. Half a second was all that Eliot needed. His fingers slipped underneath his belt, resurfacing with a small throwing knife in hand. He took careful aim then threw it, the sharp metal biting into the man situated further away, emitting a howl. While throwing the knife, Eliot took several steps forward, limping badly on his poor foot. This didn't stop his from reaching the first man and tackling him straight in the gut, releasing a deep grunt as he did so. The impact from the blow sent both of them tumbling to the ground, where Eliot struggled to maintain dominance. The other man was significantly larger that the hitter, and the tables quickly turned. Eliot found himself on his back, his wrists being held hostage by his opponent's hands. The man looming above him sneered, and Eliot gave a short laugh before spitting into the other man's face. He blinked in surprise and Eliot was able to flip him, anchoring himself on top of his enemy before dealing blow after crushing blow to the man's skull. Eliot's hands started to ach, reminding the hitter of the damage that he had put his knuckles through the past few days. His hands grew red from both his and his opponent's blood. He finally felt the man underneath him go limp and Eliot gave him one more punch for good measure.

A volley of shots rang through the air and Eliot felt a searing sensation shoot through his side. Realizing he was being shot at, Eliot dived to the side, watching out of the corner of his eye as the unconscious man on the floor was riddled with bullets from his partner's gun. Eliot scrambled to his feet to be greeted by the barrel of an automatic gun. Eliot gave a defeated smile, raising his hands to his shoulders as he limped forward half a step, mentally praising the other man for not noticing. He squinted down the barrel, tilting his head slightly sideways, a puzzled look crossing his face. "Odd choice of bullets."

The other man slackened his hold on the gun for a moment as he tried to figure out how Eliot knew what kind of bullets he was using. The hitter took advantage of that moment and brought his hands together, clasping the gun on both sides and twisting it out of the man's grasp, flinging it to the other side of the room. From there the fight went downhill. Eliot delivered several crushing blows, including an elbow to the nose, which resulted in a spray of blood and a shriek of pain. The other man quickly went down, and Eliot limped to the other side of the room where he picked up the automatic and disassembled it before returning it to it's previous location on the floor. He unconsciously ran a hand through his hair in order to get it out of his face and felt his side, where a warm liquid engulfed his hand. Eliot checked the wound closer and noticed it was just a flesh wound; the bullet hand only grazed him. He turned around and started to walk toward the closest door, which was consequently the only one he hadn't been through. At the last second he put a finger in his ear. "Nate, two guards, both down. No sign of Viktoria or Lindsey yet."

A single bullet shot, loud and clear, prevented Eliot from hearing what Nathan had to say. The hitter's mind went berserk as he thought about all the things that bullet could mean. He ran toward the door from where the sound had came from, his adrenaline preventing him from feeling the pain that his nerves in his foot were shooting into his brain. Eliot made it to the door in record time, bursting through it only to pause, his eyes wide.

In front of him stood Viktoria, her hands high in the air, palms facing forward in the international sign of defeat. Directly across from her was Lindsey, one hand grasping her stomach while the other was shakily pointing a small silver pistol directly at Viktoria's head. When Eliot barged through the door Lindsey shifted her eyes, loosing focus for a moment. "Eliot!" She breathed.

Viktoria saw her chance and lunged, making it to Lindsey and disarming her quickly before pushing the girl up against the wall, Lindsey's head making a loud thud as it hit the concrete wall. She moaned, trying to sink to the floor, but unable to move due to the hand around her throat. Viktoria turned around, smirking as Eliot limped forward. The psycho crossed the gun in front of her body and shot behind her, the bullet exiting the chamber and ricocheting off the floor between Eliot's feet, causing the man to stay where he stood. She black-haired woman gave a short laugh then turned her attention back to Lindsey, where she pressed the gun forcefully against the girl's temple. Lindsey's eyes grew wide, alternating glances between Eliot and the gun on her head.

"What's wrong Spencer?" Viktoria hissed, digging the barrel deeper into Lindsey's skin, grinning as the girl whimpered. "Scared my finger might…slip?"

Eliot growled and took a step closer, only to retrace backwards as he saw Viktoria's trigger finger tighten. "Let 'er go."

Viktoria rolled her eyes. "Such a gentleman, thinking about the damsel in distress." She took a step back, releasing Lindsey and turning to face Eliot, only to whip back around and thrust her foot into the other woman's stomach. Lindsey cried out as a sharp pain soared through her abdomen, sinking to the ground and grasping her stomach with both hands. "That's what you are, Spencer. One of those damn dark knights, with the tainted armor."

She paced around the room, playing with the gun. However, the woman's finger never strayed too far from the trigger, and the barrel was always pointed at Lindsey. "Not pure enough to live on the light side, so you stay in the shadows, waiting for another tainted soul that you can save." She spat, turning fully to face him.

"Is this what this' all about? You want me ta save Lindsey, or you?"

Viktoria laughed. "I'm past saving, Spencer, from you, at least." Another step closer. "I mean, how can I be saved by the person who captured me?"

She looked at the small silver gun, her fingers tracing it lovingly, her eyes darting up to Eliot, who wouldn't stop sneaking glances at Lindsey, hating himself for being unable to go and help her. Viktoria rolled her eyes. "Pathetic."

Eliot glared at Viktoria. "She's hurt, she needs help!" He yelled, balling his hands into fists as he slowly moved one of his hands around to his back, where a throwing knife rested just out of reach. Viktoria just sighed. "Someone's always hurt, Spencer. You should know that."

There. His fingers closed around the small metal object. Eliot looked Viktoria straight in the eyes, the woman's eyes widening as she read him. She brought the gun up in order to fire, but not fast enough. Eliot's arm moved lightning fast, the knife winking almost playfully as it spun through the air before sticking into her firing arm. Viktoria shrieked in surprise, letting the gun clatter to the ground as she desperately tried to pull the knife from her arm. Eliot took this time to run over to Lindsey, kneeling on the ground as his arms encircled Lindsey's frame. "Lin, it's ok. I need ya ta talk ta me."

She looked up, pain written all over her face. "Knew you'd come."

He glanced over at Lindsey before giving a small smile. "Always do. Look, darlin', I need you to run. Outside there' a van 'cross the street. Tell them to go, don't wait for me."

Eliot stared into Lindsey's eyes, and the woman stared back. What she saw she didn't like, causing her to grip onto Eliot tightly. "Promise me you'll come after me." She whispered.

Eliot hesitated, then nodded. "I'll be right behind ya sweetheart, now go." He pulled her up to her feet and kissed her gently on the lips before pushing her toward the door, his focus now solely on Viktoria, who had removed the knife and was trying to lessen the bleeding, watching the whole ideal as she worked. Lindsey walked toward the door, her one hand gripping her stomach. Then, against better judgment, she turned around and ran back, pressing something into Eliot's hand before disappearing through the door. The hitter's hand quickly deposited the item into his pocket, not taking enough time to identify it. "Now, we finish this."

Viktoria snorted, her hand clutching her arm, blood seeping through it. "I'm too weak to fight, Spencer, you know that. What are you gonna do, kill a defenseless human being?"

Eliot sneered. "There ain't a human being in this room."

The edges of Viktoria's lips twitched up. "That's how it works. And this is how this is going to work. You are going to let me walk right through that door right there." She pointed with her injured arm. "Because you aren't able to clean up your own mess."

Eliot shook his head. "No, I won't kill ya with my hands 'cause ya don't deserve even that much."

Eliot stood where he was, watching as Viktoria chuckled and moved toward the exit. When she reached the doorway she paused and turned around. "Until we meet again, Spencer."

She slipped through the door, leaving Eliot standing in the middle of the room. The adrenaline was wearing off, and he was starting to feel faint from blood loss and pain. He looked around the room one last time until his eyes fell on the small silver pistol lying on the ground next to him. He picked it up and made the move to disarm it. He checked and saw that there were four rounds left. His fingers moved to remove the bullets when he hesitated.

Eliot, gun in hand, walked to the doorway just in time to see Viktoria's black hair turn go through the next doorway. "Viktoria!"

She paused and turned around, coming back in Eliot's sights. She opened her mouth to make one last sly remark, when a single gunshot filled the air. Viktoria stared at Eliot in bewilderment before glancing down, shocked as she watched her life blood flow from the fresh bullet hole in her chest. Viktoria let out a weak shriek before she came crashing down onto her knees. "Eliot…"

Another bullet sound echoed around the room, knocking Viktoria backwards. Eliot stood in the farthest doorway, the gun still raised, his stance that of a trained gunman. The look in his eyes was one that hadn't been seen for a long time. Gone was the compassion and caring; gone was the love and friendship that had built its way into Eliot's life the past several years. Viktoria had gotten what she wanted in the end; the ruthless, merciless hitman known to the world as Eliot Spencer.

He limped out of the doorway, not saying anything, ignoring the searing pain in his foot. He stopped before Viktoria's body, which was already quickly cooling, the life drained from her face. A small round hole was prominent between her eyes, marking her death. Eliot stepped over her body and emptied the remaining two bullets into her dead body before walking out of the room. He dropped the gun on the floor, not caring that the bottoms of his boots were now stained with the blood of his enemy.

Eliot continued to walk. However, instead of going through the front door to return home to his family and fiancé, he took another way out, leading to the back alley and a world full of darkness.

Eliot Spencer continued to walk, and never looked back.

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**One more chapter to go, whether you love or hate me after what I did. Reviews would be greatly appreciated, kinda went out on a limb here and I'd like to know your reactions. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: This is it, the final chapter! Wow, I keep having to go back and look in the other stories to get facts for this one, and I am amazed at how far I've come. Special thanks to everyone, especially SiriusDoctorWhoHoney329 and Meatball42 for following me since the very first chapter. Also, to all of my silent stalkers out there, thank you so much!**

**This isn't the end for Lindsey and Eliot, but this time I am seriously going to take a break. You may or may not see an oneshot for Halloween and another for Christmas, but no long stories for a while. School is starting to get hectic and I have several other stories that need my undivided attention.**

**In the words of one of my more favorite authors, Hobey-ho, let's go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage, nor the Hott body named Christian Kane.**

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It was at seven o'clock the next morning when they realized that Eliot wasn't coming back. None of them batted an eyelash when he didn't show up immediately after the rescue mission was complete. He needed time to heal his wounds and wash the hypothetical blood off of his hands, they said, and left it at that. Yet when Nathan Ford turned on his six-paneled television to watch the morning news, a sinking feeling had grown in his chest. There was am emergency broadcast. A woman's body was found in an old run-down apartment complex. The body had already been autopsied and the findings were quite shocking, the newswoman had said. The unknown woman had been shot twice pre-mortem, once in the chest and other in between the eyes, both shots executed with pinpoint accuracy. The last two shots had been post-mortem, randomly drilled through her body. A discarded gun had been found at the scene, but the fingerprints came back with no positive identification, as did the fingerprints of the dead woman. Nate, as he watched the news, knew who the murderer was, and knew that he was long gone.

Several days later the FBI, who had been formally handed the case of the murdered woman, received an anonymous e-mail that contained everything there was to know about the mysteries woman, from her aliases and her actual name to the places she's been and the things she did to what her favorite color was. Needless to say, the information checked out, and the FBI was able to happily discard the case in a pile of paperwork. They hadn't been able to find any leads to who the killer was, and after learning about the true nature of the woman, they honestly didn't care. However, a computer virus made sure that the file was never picked up again, since the disease wiped out that case, along with several other random cold-cases, never to be found again.

That first week was the hardest for them all. Hardison would unconsciously stop flipping through the channels when he came upon hockey or another sport and ask the absent hitter if he wanted to watch, only to chock up moments later when he realized what he had said. Parker would stop by Nate's apartment several nights to ask if the hitter was going to treat them to a gourmet dinner. Every time Sophie saw something that reminded her of the man she would break down in tears, and Nate found himself constantly asking the hitter for advice, only to realize he had been talking to an empty room. But out of all of them, Lindsey was the one who seemed to be taking it the best. After all, she was used to the man disappearing randomly, only to show back up weeks later. She spent that first week recovering from the kidnapping and focusing on the baby that would enter her life in a matter of months. In fact, it almost seemed like she was looking forward to the child, almost. Members of the Leverage team would stop by her apartment every once in a while to see if she was doing ok, but Lindsey knew that it was more for them to be in the ghost presence of the hitter while he was gone. She would smile and say she was ok, and re-explain how she was taking it so well every time. They never mentioned that horrible day.

It was three weeks later when their lives took a turn for the worst. Lindsey had started to get violently sick and had immense pains in her abdomen, along with the occasional bleeding. She finally relented and went to see a doctor. The woman who walked out of the clinic was a different one that had gone in. She had called Sophie, whom had dropped everything she had been doing to drive over and get Lindsey. Together they went back to her apartment and cried together, and for the first time since the hitter had gone, doubts started to enter Lindsey's mind; the same doubts that burdened all of them. Would he come back? After the news of the miscarriage, the Leverage team took it upon themselves to make sure that Lindsey was never alone. They would spend time at her apartment or she would go flat hopping, staying at each of their places a few days until the next decided it was their turn. Throughout the whole ordeal, none of them dared to ask what had happened to Lindsey's engagement ring. This baby-sitting went on for several weeks, until Lindsey proclaimed herself 'all-grown-up' and went back to living in her own apartment.

At the two-month mark they started taking jobs again. Lindsey's first job had been to forge a number of different documents, all having to do with the validity of some items a company was trying to sell. She immersed herself unhealthily in the work. The team didn't do much better; their first job back was a disaster. The conference where they were told the con had seemed empty, and the obvious flaw slapped them in the face when they put it into action. They no longer had anyone to watch their back. Several times the idea of hiring a replacement was put on the table, only to be quickly torn down. They wouldn't be able to trust a new person, they had said. It wouldn't work, they would have to watch their own backs even more, they had argued. But the real reason subtly showed through. They weren't ready to give up on the hitter just yet.

The three-month mark brought upon the first moment of normalcy for all of them. It was the mark of the first successful job without having a muscle man on the team. The first time since that day when the team saw a smile on a clients face as their impossible became a reality. It was the first time in a long time that they remembered the reason for doing what they were doing. It was then that everyone stopped slipping up and saying his name, it was then that they were able to go to the bar downstairs and confidently order a Jack Daniels without one of the women, or Hardison, bursting into tears. It was then that they lost hope. The set of always-sharp knives that the hitter had kept handy in their headquarters kitchen was stowed under the sink, any papers with his messy handwriting on them were thrown away, and the hockey games that had been TiVo-ed because of that one epic play were deleted. Lindsey stopped stocking her pantries with the hitter's favorite foods and removed his toothbrush and other personal items from their sink. She folded his clothes neatly and placed them in boxes deep in her closet. She started to train herself to sleep in the middle of the bed, and once again fell into her habit of stealing all the covers while she slept. She went out and bought her first pair of real pajamas since she could remember. In short, they all moved on.

When the hitter had first disappeared, Hardison had done everything he could think of to locate the man. The hacker re-tasked satellites and gave ten of his computers the job of analyzing video-camera data, searching for the hitter's face. He created software that would alert him if any of the hitter's multiple passports were dinged, and called upon all of his IOU's in order to find the man. Once, Hardison thought he caught a glimpse of the elusive man on a camera located on a street corner in Tokyo, but the facial recognition claimed the photo too unfocused to make a positive idea. Slowly, over the weeks, less and less programs were kept active, until only one computer continuously ran one task; the application that let the hacker know if any of the hitter's passports had been dinged. Which was why, six months later, Hardison didn't notice when a small red alert box popped up in the corner of the computer screen, alerting whomever was watching at that time that one of the passports that had been flagged had been used to buy an international ticket from Copenhagen to the United States, along with a layover plane to Portland, Oregon.

_Lindsey tried but failed to hide the happy grin that was spreading across her face. She looked around and quickly snapped her phone shut, slipping it into her back pocket as she picked up the tray holding the drinks for table five. She was unable to hide the goofy grin as she served drinks, but was finally able to get it under control as she made her way back to the counter. One of the newer waitresses walked over to Lindsey, a small smirk playing at the woman's lips. She had only been working there for a year and was a bigger gossiper than she was a flirt, which was saying something. Normally Lindsey wouldn't talk to her, but tonight was a slow night, which left time for conversation._

"_Hey, Lin!" The woman called as she got within talking range. The music was still as loud as it would be on a busy night, to talking range was pretty close. Lindsey gave a busy-looking smile. "Hey Bri."_

"_Getting a special visitor tonight?" The woman called Bri asked, setting her empty serving tray on the counter before leaning against one of the bar chairs, settling in for a long conversation. Lindsey saw this and mentally sighed, resigning to the fact that the woman wouldn't leave her alone until she got a satisfying answer. So the art forger took Bri's lead, leaning against the counter. _

"_I don't know what you're talking about." Lindsey said, shrugging her shoulder to compliment her statement. The other woman just rolled her eyes._

"_Seriously? I've seen that look on you a few times before. And it always happened right before that hot mess of a man is seen hanging around the bar." Bri raised her eyebrow, and Lindsey groaned inside. She knew that people would notice Eliot hanging around every once in a while, but his visits were so rare and far between that she hoped no one would remember him come next time around. Obviously, she was wrong. "Look, I have work to do."_

_Bri laughed, touching Lindsey's arm to stop her for moving away. The forger sighed, outwardly this time, and stood still, her arms crossed. "Don't try an pull something on me, girl. I know something is going on between the two of you, an I don't blame you! I would if I had the chance."_

_Lindsey narrowed her eyes, and realized a second to late that Bri had caught her. The woman gave a satisfying smirk and placed one hand cockily on her hip. "So, are you two, like, an item? He live near here?"_

"_It's…complicated." Lindsey finally stuttered out, uneasy about talking to a stranger about her and Eliot's relationship. In truth, she had no idea what their label was when it came to their relationship. "Not really along enough to know."_

_Bri gave a comforting pat. "He one of the guys who can't be tied down, eh?"_

_Lindsey frowned, but nodded. It actually felt good to talk about this to someone else. Bri continued. "I had a guy like that. Everything I wanted, minus the never-around-long-enough-to-become-something part."_

_Lindsey leaned in closer. "What'd you do?"_

_Bri laughed. "What'd I do? I left him! Hurt more than it helped, girl." She saw the upset look on Lindsey's face and paused. "Girl, how long you been chasing this guy?"_

_Lindsey took a deep breath. "Five, six years now."_

_Bri's eyes opened wide, and Lindsey gave a small smirk. "Told you it was complicated."_

_The other woman shook her head. "You have some patience on you girl."_

_Lindsey smiled. "It isn't that…I'm scared sometimes, that he wont come back, and I'll be stuck waiting for him forever, and before you know it, my life is gone."_

_Bri shook her head and started to say something when Lindsey brightened considerable. The other waitress looked toward the front door and gave a low whistle as she saw the built, tan man with the long hair and permanent frown lines slip into the bar and lock onto Lindsey's eyes. The other woman hesitated, then slowly nodded, giving Eliot the OK to approach her. Bri thought that was weird, but said nothing. He got to where they were standing and gave Lindsey a soft kiss on the cheek before turning a flashing a charming smile toward Bri. "'ello darlin, don't think we've met."_

_The woman about melted and gave a smile in return before stuttering some excuse about being needed somewhere else._

_Later that evening, after Eliot had gone upstairs into Lindsey's apartment to make some diner and get situated and Bri and Lindsey were cleaning up, the other woman approached the forger and whispered one simple sentence. "You don't have to worry about that one, girl. He's in deeper than you are."_

It was a simple job. Get in, distract the mark, take the jewels, get out. An amateur thief could do it. Hell, Hardison could have done it. Maybe it was the fact that the job _was_ so simple that made it so complicated. Whatever the reason, something had gone terribly wrong.

Sophie was to go in first as a potential buyer for a painting that the mark was looking to sell. This painting was in a room adjacent to the jewels. In order to get in the room to properly inspect the painting, all the alarms in the building had to be turned off, allowing easy access to any of the other priceless artifacts in the marks collection. Some of his jewels just happened to have been acquired through the black market after being stolen from a young couple who had inherited them after the wife's grandmother passed away. Long story short, the jewels didn't belong to the mark, and the clients happened to be lucky enough to find the one group of people who could actually help.

Once Sophie had the attention of the mark and all the security guards, Hardison was to put a loop on the cameras only in the room that the jewels were in. Then, Parker was to break into the room, grab the jewels and clear out. The thief was given five minutes to do this operation, plenty of time for the woman. In fact, Parker had gone out of her way to make several remarks about how long it would actually take her to complete the job.

It might have been Hardison's fault that the alarms went off. He was the one assigned to do all the background work and make sure that the jewels could be snatched without flaw. Or maybe it was Nate's fault, he was the one who came up with the supposedly flawless plan. Perhaps it was Sophie and something in her acting that caused the guards to be suspicious and pull the alarm. It might have even been Parker, who made an amateur mistake by grabbing the jewels without checking for a pressure-sensitive pad. Whoever was at fault, all of them would agree that, in the end, it was the hitter that was truly to blame.

The alarms blared through the building, causing the thief to jump in surprise, her hands full of stolen merchandise. In the other room, she could barely make out Sophie's shocked remarks and the angry barks of the mark over his walkie-talkie. Parker was frozen for half a second, then she jumped into action, stuffing the items of the hour into the small black bag she was carrying before bolting out of the room. She surpassed the vents, which were her entrance into the room. Instead she used the front door, stopping only when she heard the footsteps of guards approaching. Parker flattened herself against the wall, slipping behind a conveniently placed statue until the coast was clear, then bee lined straight for the front door. Angry yells were heard behind her, and the footsteps started up once again, only this time in hot pursuit. She made it to the front doors just in time, unable to slow down as she pushed through the doors and flew down the stairs. She paused at the curb, not sure which way to go. Parker gave an annoyed sigh and turned to her right and breaking out into a full-fledged run. She remembered that Nate said the van would be parked a mile down the road in case of trouble. Parker glanced behind her to see if the guards were still chasing her. They were, as well as a mysterious-looking motorcycle. It didn't have any police or detective signs on it, and the person on it didn't look like they would be a cop. They were wearing a leather jacket with a black tank top underneath along with a black pair of jeans and a black helmet with a tinted visor. Parker's heart raced even more and she tried to run faster, but the motorcycle soon caught up with her. Instead of pulling over or pulling past her, it kept speed with her. Then, a slow hand reached up and flipped the visor open, and what Parker saw caused the thief to stumble and almost fall.

"Need a ride, darlin?"

"E-Eliot!" The thief squeaked in surprise. The man on the motorcycle grinned and slowed down even more, reaching around to pat the back of his motorcycle. Parker got his message and jumped onto the vehicle, grabbing the extra helmet on the back of the motorcycle and storing the black bag filled with valuables safely between them before snuggling up close, wrapping her arms around the long-lost hitter. Positive that everything worth anything was secured, Eliot roared the engine and took off.

Parker squealed in delight, hugging tighter onto the man as the motorcycle sped through the streets. The man's slightest movement caused the bike to shift, and Parker felt his whole body move with the machine. The purring of the engine was lulling her into a sense of almost calm, and for a moment she forgot that they were running from a con gone wrong. The ride ended all too soon, though, as Eliot pulled over on the side of the road, parking himself next to a large black van that had turned on its engine when the people inside learned that the alarms inside their mark's building had gone off. Neither of the men inside knew who was on the motorcycle, and were very skeptical when Parker jumped off the back, her hair wild from wearing the helmet, her eyes watery from both the immense speed of the ride and being re-united with a man that had disappeared for six months. The two men inside almost had heart attacks when the driver of the motorcycle swung off and removed his helmet, running his hand through his hair in an age long tradition.

Hardison couldn't contain his excitement and leaped out of the back of the van and literally jumped onto the hitter, squeezing the life out of him. Eliot hesitated, and then hugged the hacker back just as hard. They let go of each other and Hardison just stared at the hitter for a few moments, shaking his head. "Thought you weren't comin' back man."

Eliot coughed to clear his throat and looked at the van, trying to see through the tinted windows. There was a silhouette of a man in the front seat, and the hitter waited for the driver to get out of the truck. Slowly the door opened and Nate hopped out, his eyes red as he stared at his long gone 'son.' The mastermind took the first step, and then suddenly they were in each other's arms, slapping each other on the back and sharing a type of intimacy that only a father and son could have. Then the moment was over and they were back in the present. Nate averted his head and closed his eyes and when he looked up seconds later he was back in con mode. "We're still being chased, let's go."

Hardison and Parker nodded and piled into the back of the van. Nate stared at Eliot a moment longer, watching as the man grabbed his helmet and jammed it onto his head. The hitter hopped on the bike and roared off, intent on meeting the team back at Nate's apartment. The ex insurance investigator waited a moment longer before turning and walking back to the van. "Welcome back."

Sophie was already at the apartment when Eliot got there. He opened the door, stopping momentarily to take in the somewhat familiar view. Everything was the same, but different. He noticed a new bookshelf in the corner, a painting placed differently on the wall, little things that reminded him of just how long he was gone. Eliot let out a big breath of air, then stumbled backwards as a tall blur in high heels attached itself to him. Eliot threw up his hands, resisting the urge to fight whatever it was that latched on to him. Then, he looked down and saw Sophie clinging on to him.

"Eliot!" She exclaimed, kissing him on the check before continuing to hug the life out of him. The hitter hugged back and smirked as she pulled away. "It's you…it's really you."

She looked him up and down, picking up on subtle differences in the man's' physical appearance. He seemed more rugged, there was dark stubble growing on his face, a bit wilder than he normally had. His muscle shirt under his jacket showed that, if possible, the man had grown even more tone. His hair was slightly longer, and any highlights that were in it six months ago were gone. But the most startling difference was the man's eyes. She looked in those eyes and saw something dangerous and wild in them. Something she was sure defined the person that he was a long time ago. A time when psycho girlfriends from Romania were alive and working with him. But even though that danger was there, it was controlled, almost dulled. Eliot also seemed more at peace. Relaxed, no. He still had that shifty look as he scanned the room, the stance that was only milliseconds away from being defensive. But the anger and hatred that always swirled around his had almost completely dissipated. Eliot noticed her stare and shifted uncomfortably.

Sophie smiled and gave him one last hug. "You see Lindsey yet."

The man seemed to shrink a little at the mention of Lindsey's name. He shook his head, thrusting his hands deep into his pockets. "No, not yet."

Sophie sighed and rolled her eyes, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling. "You better go fix that."

He looked at Sophie and saw something, a hint of pain, maybe. But it was gone in a flash and he didn't have time to think about it. It was time that he went and saw his fiancé and the child that she had been carrying when he left.

**--Leverage--**

Lindsey parked her car in the parking complex a block away from her apartment and decided to walk to her place instead of driving the extra block to park closer. She had these urges to walk lately to clear her mind. She cut off the engine to her car and got out, walking down the declining ramp and onto the sidewalk. She continued with her hands deep in her coat pockets, taking in the view as she walked along, oblivious to the world around her. A fleeting thought crossed her mind, knowing that if Eliot was there he would scold her for being so careless. She frowned and shook her head. Eliot wasn't there with her; he was gone, for good this time. She sighed and erased the thought. She resumed walking, not noticing that she had stopped.

It had taken her almost five months to loose hope that her lover was ever coming back. It was strange to have lived with him for a year; the longest time apart only a week or two when he was on a con. It was so easy to fall into a semi-normal life. She had told herself that he would never leave her alone in bed in the morning again. She smirked when she remembered the time only a few weeks into her life in Portland when she had woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of Eliot sneaking out of the room. She had begged him not to leave until he told her that Nate had called and needed him to do some recon work. They had come so far, and it only made him leaving again harder.

Lindsey knew she wasn't over the man, and was sure that she never would be. But she had lost hope that she would ever see him again, touch him again, kiss him again. And she had felt hurt for a few days, then picked herself up and lived her life.

She walked along the sidewalk, her building finally coming into view. She gave a sad smile as she watched a young couple breeze by her, too caught up in each other to notice her. Lindsey stopped where she stood, however, when a young husband walked by on the other side of the street, a small toddler waddling along next to him, her pudgy little hand engulfed by his large one. Lindsey's eyes started to prickle with tears and her hand automatically went to her flat stomach. Her stomach that was supposed to be very large by now. She was rooted to the spot until a car horn brought her back to the present. Lindsey sniffed and wiped her eyes and hurried the rest of the way to her building, unable to enjoy the air any longer. She walked through the front door without bothering to look around. If she had she would have seen a motorcycle parked on the curb in front of the apartment complex. She went straight for the elevators and pressed the button for her level, trying to get her breathing back to a normal level. The elevator dinged and Lindsey stepped out, looking left and right before walking down to her apartment. It was the same one that Eliot had bought for her, she wasn't going to give up the perfect apartment, even if it was to get the perfect man out of her mind.

The first sign of something being off should have come when Lindsey saw the small lamplight by the front door on. However, she was tired and not real attentive. She walked in and closed the door behind her, taking off her jacket and putting it on the coat rack. She kicked off her shoes and placed them neatly beside Eliot's cowboy boots, and froze. Eliot's cowboy boots. He was wearing them six months ago on the day he disappeared. Lindsey's breath caught in her throat and she slowly walked into the kitchen. She gave a weak gasp and almost fell. She would have fainted if it weren't for the doorway to lean on. Her tears flowed without obstacle as she saw who was in her kitchen.

Eliot Spencer, _her_ Eliot Spencer stood in the kitchen working on a gourmet looking platter and humming some country song as if he had only been gone for a weekend. He looked up and saw Lindsey in the doorway and gave her one of his dazzling smirks. "You got here too early, ruined the surprise."

It was then that Lindsey turned around and saw the living room. He had set up the coffee table like a diner table and had two plates sitting on it along with candles and a bottle of very expensive champagne. There was already a plate full of fruit and a rather large bowl of melted chocolate sitting in the middle, along with a single red rose on what she would have guessed was her plate. Lindsey blinked, as if thinking it was all a dream, and brought her hands up to her mouth, small sobs making their way out of her. Eliot glanced down at her stomach and grew a puzzled look, putting the plate he was holding onto the counter. "Thought you'd be…bigger."

Lindsey shook her head and hugged herself, still leaning against the doorway for support. "I…I lost it. I lost my baby."

Eliot winced, noticing that she used 'my' instead of 'ours'. He let out a large breath and closed his eyes, not prepared for that news. "Why?"

A hint of anger flared through Lindsey's eyes. "Why? The doctor said it had something to do with being _kidnapped_ and physically abused! That and a mixture of stress from dealing with a disappearing fiancé who might never come back!" She almost screamed.

Eliot frowned. It was gone. The baby that they were going to have was gone, and it was his fault. His breath came out in ragged gasps, and he felt tears prick at his eyes. He held them back, not allowing them to fall. He would never let them fall, especially not in front of Lindsey. "I _always_ come back, darlin."

Lindsey took a few steps back. "Don't. I've heard it all before." She paused, as if not sure about the topic she was going to bring up next. "She was shot, Eliot. You…you don't like guns. You don't _use_ guns."

He stood where he was, unable to move. The words that he wished never to hear had surfaced, and they stung. "She didn't deserve any other death."

"You didn't have to run away. You promised…" Her voice was growing shaky.

Eliot sighed. "I couldn't sweetheart. I-I couldn't let you see me like that. Any of you."

Lindsey sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes only for her cheeks to be replaced with new ones. The room grew silent, each person itching to run forward and engulfing the other in their arms. Both lusting to touch each other again and loose themselves in each other, to feel their skin and hear their heartbeat and say I love you over and over again. Yet neither of them moved, too scared that the other would reject them. "Then why'd you come back?"

Eliot hesitated then reached deep down in the pocket of his jeans until he found what he was looking for. "I found this, and thought, 'There's a beautiful woman out there with a man who loved 'er enough ta give 'er a ring, and I needed ta give it to 'er.'"

He produced Lindsey's engagement ring. It was still as marvelous as it had been six months ago when she had pressed it desperately into his hand as a reminder. Now, seeing it again caused a small smile to inch onto her face. "That's very gentleman-like of you."

He gave a soft smile and walked up to her, getting down on one knee. Lindsey shakily held out her left hand and shivered as Eliot's fingers brushed her hand as he slid the ring onto her finger. He stood up and gave her a huge hug. Lindsey's knees finally gave way and she melted into him, grabbing on to dear life. She was scared that it was all a dream and that she would wake up and he wouldn't be there and she would be alone. Eliot breathed in the scent of Lindsey for the first time in half a year, pulling back only enough to kiss her on the forehead. "I love you." He murmured into her hair. She responded by grabbing on tighter. Lindsey reached up to his ear and whispered to him. "I love you too."

Their embrace couldn't last forever, and soon they pulled apart. However, they didn't disconnect from each other's touch. Not yet. Neither of them were ready. Lindsey smiled and looked into Eliot's eyes. "I am so happy you came back…"

He didn't say anything, and Lindsey turned serious. "You can't do that anymore Eliot. You can't just run away. You hurt me, and your team, more than you could ever know. I-I know I should tell you that if you leave again, I won't be here _if_ you get back. But the truth is I always will be here, waiting." She shook her head. "But I can't go through that again, Eliot." She stared his straight in the eyes.

He shushed her and pulled her into another hug. "I'm sorry." He whispered as he stroked her soft hair over and over again. He caressed her cheek before softly holding her chin and tilting it upward in order to kiss her. It was a gentle kiss, which was soon over. They walked over to the living room before sitting on the couch, Lindsey leaning on Eliot, not ever wanting to let go.

"It was a boy." Lindsey finally said, her voice choking. Eliot stiffened at those four simple words, his heart skipping a beat. _A boy._ He hugged Lindsey tighter, and he did something that he promised himself he would never do again. His eyes closed, he tried to fight it, but it was a loosing battle. Slowly, ever so slowly, a single silent tear slipped down his face.

* * *

**Aw. Thought that was a suitable ending, hope you think the same. Reviews would be oh so loved.**

**Also, small piece of information, I might be going to the con-con in March! I'm so excited! Hehehe. All I have to do is convince my dad that yes, it is worth skipping two days of school and is important for my future sanity :-P**


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